I LOVE Brussel Spouts!

I am happy to report that the Christmas food is gone! Well, almost gone because I did freeze some ham and pumpkin bread as well as macaroni and cheese (don't know how that will turn out) for later meals. Andy and I were so tired of turkey and dressing, cranberries in all forms and ham.

Tonight, I made a simple baked Tilapia dinner. I kicked it up a bit with some yummy sides. I recently found a recipe for Creamy Wild Rice and Mushroom casserole. It is so good. And, as you can see from the picture, I cooked "Caramelized Brussel Sprouts."

Don't like brussel sprouts, you say? Forget about it! When you cook fresh brussel sprouts and caramelize them like this, they taste as sweet as candy!!!! Here is how to do it:

Take one package of fresh brussel sprouts, cut off the stem, trim off the outer leaves, rinse and cut in half down the center. Pour 1/3 Cup of good Virgin Olive Oil into a measuring cup and dip out 3 Tablespoons into a large skillet. Place the brussel sprouts cut side down in the skillet and drizzle the rest of the Olive Oil over them. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, cover and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes or until golden brown. Remove cover and add a couple of Tablespoons of water, cover again and cook for 2 more minutes. Turn off heat and let simmer a few more minutes or until tender. Toss with the juice of 1/2 of a lemon and a little more salt and pepper.

Talk about good! Try it, you will like it.

One silly little tidbit: When my sons were young, they HATED brussel sprouts and for some reason we started calling them "Brussel Straps." Still do! Guess you had to be there. That's all Folks!